U.S. News college ranking trends 2014

U.S. News and World Report 2014-15 rankings of colleges and universities were released Tuesday. These tables show the top 150 drawn from each of two U.S. News lists of national universities and national liberal arts colleges. Other ranking data were drawn from previously published lists. Note that the data represent rankings as they were originally published, omitting any midyear changes that may have occurred for particular schools. Rankings with an asterisk signify a change in a school’s classification, a listing of “unranked” or “second tier,” or a lack of comparable information. The formula for the rankings -- using measures such as admission rates, graduation rates, faculty resources, financial resources and results of peer surveys -- is controversial. Critics say it is more about prestige and selectivity than school performance, but U.S. News says its method gives consumers information they want. -- Nick Anderson. Related: U.S. News college rankings: Amid predictability, some major shifts